Food, and some Other Stuff

Kung Pao Hustle

I’d like to think that travel is a universal desire; something that everybody at one point or another dreams of doing. Going new places, experiencing new cultures, what’s not to love? Admittedly, I haven’t done nearly as much travelling as I would have liked so far. I’ve only left the eastern time zone twice in my life, both of which were within 6 months, a thought that crosses my mind every time I have a day or two off in a row. However, it’s something that I’ve always longed for; dropping everything and just seeing the world. Being in the restaurant industry kind of squashes those hopes, but I know it’ll happen some day. The 34th week of Reddit’s 52 Weeks of Cooking Challenge offers the closest I can get to visiting the world’s greatest parts unknown, cooking a dish from the opposite side of the world!

If you want to get really technical, for anybody living in North or South America, the exact opposite side of the world is in the Pacific Ocean. Specifically, if I were to tunnel through the center of the earth from where I live, I would wind up off the Southeastern coast of Australian, about halfway to Antarctica. Since we’ve already done an Australian week and I missed out on this year’s GWAR-B-Q, I was going to have to figure something else out. As most people probably do, when I was a kid I always thought I could dig a hole through the world and end up in China and everything would be upside-down. While I now realize how silly that it, when I was a kid it was not only doable, but totally reasonable. Like I could accomplish it in a day or two. In the spirit of my childish hopes and dreams, this week’s recipe landed on a traditional Chinese dish: Gong Bao.

More commonly translated as Kung Pao, is a spicy stir-fry dish originating in the Sichuan Province in Southwestern China. While it’s American counterpart is normally slathered in a sickly sweet orange and chili sauce, the traditional preparation is made with chilies, peanuts, vegetables and the iconic Szechuan Peppercorn. Unlike black or white pepper we commonly use, Szechuan Peppercorns have a slightly lemony flavor and also cause a certain degree of numbness in the mouth. Because of these attributes, the spice has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as well as cooking for centuries.

As with most stir-fries, the preparation is incredibly simple. Basically, everything gets cooked in a pan and served over rice. For the traditional preparation, I toasted peanuts in coconut oil, then set them aside. In the same oil, I toasted dried red chilies and Szechuan peppercorns over a low heat. The chilies and peppercorns can blacked very easily, so it’s important to watch them very carefully. Once the spices were toasted nicely, I added in veggies and some marinated tofu (chicken is more common in Szechuan cuisine, but I had some tofu kicking around, so why not?) and let them cook up until the veggies were soft and the tofu was crispy. Toss in the peanuts at the last minute and you’re ready to go. Piled up on top of some steamed rice, this dish has a perfect balance of sweet and spicy, with a bright lemony kick from the Szechuan peppercorns. I hadn’t eaten anything with the peppercorns since I had been in school, so I had almost forgotten about the numbing effect, which was actually a really nice contrast to the heat of the chilies. As long as you have that key ingredient, you could easily substitute the recipes with beef, pork, chicken, seafood or whatever vegetables you’ve got on hand.

Gong Bao Tofu

makes about 5 portions

Peanuts, unsalted, 2/3 cup

Tofu, firm, 2 packages (about 24 ounces)

Soy Sauce, 4 tablespoons

Cornstarch, 1 tablespoon

Coconut Oil, 2 tablespoons

Szechuan Peppercorns, 1 teaspoon

Dried Arbol Chilies, 4 each

Garlic, minced, 2 cloves

Ginger, peeled, minced, 1-inch piece

Scallions, thinly sliced, 4 each

Vegetables for Stir-Frying (your choice), as needed

Cooked white rice, as needed

Heat a large saute pan or wok to medium-high heat. In the dry pan, toast peanuts until browned and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine soy sauce and cornstarch until dissolved. Dice tofu into 1-inch chunks and toss in soy mixture to coat evenly. In the saute pan or wok, heat coconut oil to medium heat. Toast peppercorns and chilies until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add garlic, ginger, scallions, and marinated tofu. Cook until tofu begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add vegetables and continue cooking until vegetables are tender, about 5-8 minutes, depending on what vegetables are used. Once vegetables are tender, add in peanuts, mixing to combine. Serve hot over cooked white rice.